Losing Myself In You
by chunkeymonkey
Summary: Sometimes what you want, isn't what you need . Follows no special events except Clark got Lana to leave Lex for him. Chloe, Clark, Lana, Jimmy. Chlark definitely friendship, maybe more? Warning: contains some Chlimmy and Clana!
1. Chapter 1

**_It was a beautiful summer day. The kind of day with blue skies that go on forever and endless sunshine to warm your soul. _**

Chloe pulled her car to a stop in the Kents driveway; she could see smoke billowing in the air and could smell burning charcoal. She also noticed a large homemade paper banner hanging from the font porch reading "Good Luck at The Planet!" in big, bold red letters. Chloe laughed; it didn't take much to make Mrs. Kent proud, even if Clark had only managed to score a small position in the mailroom.

Any cause for a party was a good cause for Mrs. Kent.

As Chloe walked across the front yard she saw Martha lying out a stack of paper plates on a cloth covered picnic table. She waved merrily to Chloe and pointed over her shoulder towards Clark. He was busy flipping burgers on the grill, but turned briefly to wave at her, spatula in hand. Chloe set down her things, headed to see if there was anything she could help with, when she saw Lana walk out the front door and over to Clark, wrapping her arms around his waist possessively.

Just then, Chloe smiled as she heard a familiar voice in her ear and felt a pair of arms wrap around her as well.

"Here's my girl."

**_But even though the sun feels good upon your skin..._**

****

Chloe turned around to see Jimmy behind her.

"Looks like you came just in time for the Lana and Clark show."

Chloe laughed; she knew exactly what Jimmy meant. It had been nothing but endless, giddy, displays of emotion for weeks. Since Clark told Lana his secret and convinced her to leave Lex for him.

Chloe, ever the good friend, was happy that they were happy—but Jimmy had a point. Enough was enough. "Oh, lucky me." She replied sarcastically.

"At least you didn't have to sit through the first act—an hour of snuggling in the hammock."

Chloe's eyebrows furrowed. "You've been here for an hour? I didn't see your car when I pulled up."

"I'm full of surprises." Jimmy grinned, trying his best to sound mysterious. "Actually, I parked at the Talon where we were _supposed_ to meet up before coming here." He paused, looking a bit agitated. "And by the time I realized you weren't going to show up my car got blocked in by delivery trucks and Lois gave me a lift." He nodded over his shoulder to where Lois was sprawled out on a lounge chair, yakking into her cell phone.

"Of course! I was supposed to meet you at the Talon." The forgotten plans were suddenly remembered and Chloe smiled, embarrassed. "I'm sorry Jimmy—but I was at The Planet doing some research and you will _never_ believe what happened!" Her eyes grew wide with excitement. "If this turns out to be legit it could be a big break on the whole Luthor—"

Jimmy cut her off with an exaggerated sigh and took a step back from her. "Figures."

"What?"

He looked as if he was struggling with what to say. "Can we just not talk about The Planet or the Luthor's or deadlines or anything for once? I mean, we're at a party here."

"Yeah. A party celebrating that Clark got hired by _The Daily Planet._" Chloe shot back jokingly.

Jimmy was not amused.

**_…..It can still burn you. _**

Meanwhile, across the yard Clark was flipping the batch of burgers over one last time, checking to see if they were almost done.

"So, when do you start your new job?" Lana asked, resting her head on his arm as she clung to him.

"Next Monday—9 am sharp." Clark said cheerfully, flipping some of the burgers onto a plate.

Lana sighed and unlatched herself from his arm.

"Something wrong?"

"I just wish you would have reconsidered the job at The Ledger instead. I mean, it's closer to home."

"It's not like I have to worry about a long commute." Clark winked and bent down to kiss her. Lana dodged her head away and crossed her arms defensively.

"I'm serious Clark. You would be closer to _home_ and closer to _me_." Suddenly the smile that had faded from her face returned with sickening sweetness.

"And as great as that would be," Clark continued diplomatically. "Metropolis is really where all the great stories are."

"Yes, but _you_ are going to be working in the mailroom." She snarled, trying her best to keep her voice down. "We already talked about this—I don't like the idea of you being in Metropolis, tempted to run off and save the day all the time."

"It won't be like that—"

"Using your powers all the time is not safe." She cut him off. "I thought we already agreed about this."

"But Lana—"

Lana could see she wasn't going to win the argument and grabbed the plate of burgers and stormed off towards the table.

**_Yet you still crave its warmth. _**

****

"Chloe, I'm serious here."

Chloe winced at Jimmy's harsh tone. "I'm sorry."

Jimmy reached out and pulled off the Daily Planet ID badge that was dangling from her collar, stuffing it into his pocket. "How about today we don't discuss anything DP related. No Luthor's, no deadlines—just us. I like the sound of that. How about you?"

The words coming out of his mouth sounded harmless, but Chloe felt a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach. "It sounds like a great idea."

Jimmy leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. "That's why you're my girl."

"And you're my guy!" Chloe felt oddly numb inside, but did her best to put on a convincing smile.

**_Because sometimes what you want… _**

****

****

****

Clark caught up to Lana, pulling her shoulder until she stopped moving. "I'm sorry. I didn't know this was such a big deal for you. I," He paused, torn on the inside, but he knew he had to say the words. "I will think about The Ledger. I promise."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah."

Lana smiled and threw her free arm around him, lifting up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. As she pulled away she ran her hand down the length of the sleeve on his red jacket, giving him a queer look. "Now all I have to do is work on getting rid of this old, ugly thing and everything will be perfect." She laughed and marched off towards the table. "I don't think they would like it over at The Ledger."

Clark watched her go, feeling like he had been punched with a fistful of Kryptonite.

**_….Is not what you need. _**

**_What good is love when you lose your true self in the process? _**


	2. Chapter 2

The morning sun was just beginning to rise over downtown Metropolis, its rays bouncing off the large bronze globe atop The Daily Planet building. Chloe shielded her eyes from its intense glare as she stood outside the front entrance, looking across the street towards the little coffee shop on the corner. Suddenly she felt a whoosh at her side and heard Clark's voice.

"I got you a grande—I thought you could use it." He said, handing her a large paper cup.

"Thanks." Chloe said, taking a long sip. The coffee was strong, just like she needed, and the steam from it felt good upon her tired eyes. "I can't believe we stayed out all night and got nowhere" She grumbled, her voice raspy in the brisk morning air. She rubbed her neck, sore from sitting upright for hours, and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. "I thought for sure the source was going to show up. Sorry I dragged you along for nothing."

"No problem—I'm always game for a good stakeout." Clark smiled and took an impressive gulp from his coffee, crumbling the empty cup and tossing it into a nearby

trash can.

"Show off."

Clark smiled. "Grumpy this morning aren't we?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Come on Chloe—that's the life of a reporter—chasing down endless leads that go nowhere." He gave her a little shove on the arm. "You know you love it."

Chloe tried to bat his hand away, but her attempt to look annoyed failed and she broke out into a sleepy smile. "Okay, maybe I do—but I just wish I looked half as good as you do after a sleepless night prowling around the dark alleys of Metropolis. I'm a mess and you are still fresh as a daisy."

"You look pretty good to me." Clark said, a bit too intimately as Chloe blushed and he

quickly back tracked. "Well, no one ever said bringing down Lex would be easy."

Chloe shrugged and reached for the door; Clark stepped in front of her and held it open as they walked into the front lobby. The area was quiet, the calm before the mad morning rush, and only the sound of the janitor buffing the floors could be heard. "You're right, Clark. I guess I got a little too excited when a man claiming to be an ex-employee of Level 33.1 leaves me a cryptic message saying he has incriminating info—and wants to meet me. I should have known better—it's all a little too convenient."

"Maybe—or maybe he chickened out. Or maybe someone got to him first."

"That's possible." Chloe said thoughtfully as the two walked across the lobby towards the basement stairs. They climbed down them in silence till they reached the basement offices.

Clark opened the door ahead for Chloe. "Well, if he's legit—and really does want to help—he'll probably try to get in touch with you again."

"Maybe. Or—" Chloe paused in the doorway; her eyes lit up and she reached into her pocket for her cell phone. She scrolled through her saved calls till she came across a call logged as blocked from a few days ago. "My guy at the phone company was only able to tell me that the source's call came from a cell tower outside Metropolis. But maybe my other guy can help me narrow things down a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a women's voice in the background when this guy called me a few days ago—it was muffled but sounded like it was coming over some sort of PA system. My guy might be able to single it out, amplify it, and it might give us a clue to where this guy is calling from. Like a bus or train station or something. Narrow down the area so then I can go find him myself." She held the phone out and placed it in Clark's hand. "Here ya go—I heard you have really super hearing."

"Oh really?" Clark said, leaning up against the door frame with one hand, pressing the phone to his ear. "So now I'm just one of your guys?"

Chloe smiled, ducking underneath his arm. "The best."

Clark laughed and followed behind her, weaving through the newsroom. "Can you make anything out yet?" Chloe called over her shoulder as they approached her desk. Clark had no time to reply as they were both stopped by the sight of Jimmy, his upper body sprawled across her desk, his head cradled underneath his right arm fast asleep.

"Jimmy?" Chloe said, and he let out a soft groan. "Jimmy!" She said louder, reaching across the desk to shake him. He let out a grunt and bolted upright, dazed. His hair was flattened on the side and a deep crease ran down the side of his cheek from where he had been lying on her mouse pad.

"Huh, wha—Chloe, hey." He stuttered, and his eyes darted between the both of them.

There were dark shadows underneath his eyes and his clothes were crumpled; he ran a hand down his neck, twisting it till there was a series of loud snaps and cracks. "What time is it?"

"It's five in the morning—did you sleep here?"

Jimmy rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. "Yeah—but only for about the last hour or so."

"What have you been doing? Working on a story?"

Something flickered in his eyes and he crossed his arms, leaning back into her chair. "Not everything in life has to revolve around a good story or The Daily Planet." He sniped.

"Excuse me?"

Clark shot Chloe a look and stepped back to give them a bit of privacy.

"I came here," Jimmy began. "And waited for you when you didn't show up for our date—or answer any of my calls—because this is the only place I could think of that you might be."

A look of recognition came over Chloe and she tossed her bag down, crouching down on Jimmy's side. "I'm sorry Jimmy—I forgot." She placed her hand on his, but he looked away. "But if you would have let me tell you what was going on the other day then you would have known. I had a source call me, telling me he had inside information about Level 33.1 and wanted to meet me. And a big break like that is what I need to really get my story off the ground." She smiled hopefully but Jimmy just rolled his eyes. "And I'm sorry I missed your calls, but me and Clark were out in sketchy part of town and I barely get any reception out there—"

"Save it."

Chloe saw Clark take a step forward, a troubled look on his face. "Jimmy—"

Jimmy waved his hands in the air, cutting him off. "It's okay Clark, it's fine." He shifted his gaze back to Chloe. "It's just that I keep waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Chloe asked, her voice strained. She stood up and Jimmy stood up to meet her.

"For our relationship to be as important as one of your stories."

Chloe looked as if she had been smacked across the face, and she took a step backwards, unable to say anything in return. Clark came to her side and handed her back her cell phone. "Do you want me to leave you two alone?" He whispered uncomfortably and Chloe nodded. "I'll call you later then." He walked off towards the door, throwing a cautionary look or two over his shoulder.

"For the record," Chloe sniffed when they were finally alone. "I do think you are important. But I am also a journal—"

'Then prove it." Jimmy demanded, grabbing her by the hand. Chloe jerked back slightly, frightened by the sudden fervor in his eyes. He reached into his pocket. "I've been thinking about this for some time now and, well, I have a question to ask you."


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was now high in the afternoon sky, beating down on Clark as he finished up the last of his daily farm chores. As he bent down to grab a bale of hay he heard a car pull up the gravel drive. He stopped and turned to see Lana hop out of her car and head towards him.

"Hey, I was just thinking of you." He called as he bent down and grabbed a bale of hay with one hand, slinging it effortlessly over his right shoulder into the bed of the truck behind him. It landed with a thud and a few loose pieces came showering down.

"Hey," Lana said coolly, flicking away a piece that landed in her hair. "I came to see how your first day at The Planet went?"

"Oh, it was pretty good." He smiled, wiping his hands against his jeans. "The job is pretty minor. But it's a foot in the door so I can't beat that."

"So that's it? Nothing exciting happened?"

"No. Well, unless you count finding fifty cents in the vending machine exciting."

"I see." She nodded, leaning up against his truck. "Well, I did call you _last_ night to see how your day went," Her eyes narrowed slightly and she paused for effect. "And imagine my surprise when I find you hadn't come home yet—at ten o'clock at night. Those are quite some hours for someone who only works in the mailroom."

Clark picked up another bale of hay. "Oh, well after work I went out with Chloe to meet a source." He tossed the hay behind him. "He said he had information for her story on Lex, but he didn't show up. I didn't get home till early in the morning."

Lana rolled her eyes, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. "This is exactly why I didn't want you working at The Daily Planet."

"What?"

"Because you can't just go to work, do your job and come home."

"I'm sorry I wasn't around," Clark said softly, stepping forward and reaching out for her hand. As his fingers grazed her skin she jerked away. "But I promise I'll make it up to you."

"You just don't get it, do you?" She spat, exasperated. "Now that you're working at The Daily Planet with Chloe you're probably going to be out every night investigating and getting into trouble."

"Not every night," He said, inching closer towards her. He went in for a kiss but she twitched her head away. "Besides," He sighed, frustrated. He picked up the last barrel of hay and hurled it over his shoulder, badly missing the truck. "We didn't get into trouble last night; we just sat in a car for hours and cruised around the alleys of Metropolis. Pretty harmless stuff." Clark mumbled as he watched the bale crash into a tree fifty yards away.

"But it's just a matter of time," Lana argued. "Lex is a dangerous man—we all know that pretty well. Working on a story to expose him is dangerous. Sooner or later you're going to be out working on this little story of yours when all hell breaks lose and you'll get shot or—"

"But Lana, you know that can't hurt me."

'I know, and that's the problem."

Clark took a moment to let it all sink in. Lana was looking back at him with an almost wild look in her eyes. He mentally scolded himself for not realizing what this was all about sooner. "So all of this is about my _powers _again?"

"You already know how I feel about this." She stated matter -of -factly. "You know I think it's a bad idea to run off to Metropolis—where there are just too many opportunities to use your powers—instead of staying in Smallville where it's safe."

"Safe?" Clark choked. "Have you been living in a different town all this time? What about all the meteor freaks?"

"That's different. Here weird things have been happening for years, and Chloe was the only one to ever look into any of it." She said. "But Metropolis is full of nosy reporters like her—you seriously think someone like you won't go unnoticed for long?"

Clark flinched. He took offense to the term _nosy reporter. _After all, he did want to be one someday. "I think you're being a bit paranoid Lana. And I don't think Chloe would like you calling her—""

" Clark," Lana cut him off, her voice going from angry to suddenly soft and sweet. She took a step forward, reaching out to stroke his arm. "Maybe I am being a bit paranoid. But we're finally together and I don't want anything to jeopardize that." She reached for the collar of his shirt, pulling his head down to kiss him deeply. "If someone ever found out about you and what you can do—I just," She moaned, pulling away. "I just couldn't bear to lose you."

Clark knew the chances of him being found out because of working at The Daily Planet were slim at best. "I'd never let that happen." He said firmly, doing his best to dissuade her fears.

"Then prove it." She demanded, her grip on his shirt growing stronger. "Prove to me that you want the same things I do—a peaceful, normal life here in Smallville."


	4. Chapter 4

A bell jingled as Chloe pushed open the door of the Talon. The place was pretty busy for the late evening and Chloe searched through the crowd for a sight of Clark. She saw a flash of a red jacket and followed it towards the back of the room. There she found Clark sitting at a table in the corner.

"Hey." She called, tossing her bag down and pulling up a seat. "I got your message and came here as soon as I could. Were you able to decipher anything from the phone message?"

A waitress appeared their table and set down two steaming mugs of coffee. "I already ordered us drinks."

"Oh—thanks." Chloe smiled as the waitress passed it to her.

Clark handed the girl a wad of bills and she scurried over to the next table. "The woman in the background was paging a Dr. Rosenbaum." Clark said, taking a sip.

"Dr. Rosenbaum?" Chloe said, scrunching her forehead in thought. "I swear I've heard that name before—but where?"

"Well, I don't know," Clark said. "There are two major hospitals in Metropolis—maybe he works for one of them?"

'Maybe," Chloe mumbled. "I'll look into it."

"Maybe your source will get in touch with you again—you just have to be patient." Clark offered, watching curiously as Chloe reached for a nearby salt shaker.

"Maybe—or I can find him first."

Clark watched her smirk; he had no doubt she would try. "So," He said cautiously after watching her pour salt from the shaker into her cup, stirring the drink mindlessly. "Is everything alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, seeing as how you've just dumped _salt _into your coffee—I'd say your mind is elsewhere tonight."

Chloe's eyes darted down to her hands. "Oh great," She muttered, pushing the cup away from her. "I've been like this all day. I guess I have a lot on my mind."

"Is it because of—"

"The giant, completely awkward fight I had with Jimmy this morning?"

"Yeah."

"It's just that," Chloe stalled and began to bite the nail on her thumb nervously. "He's been a bit frustrated with me lately. All work and no play makes Chloe a dull girlfriend I suppose."

Clark leaned back in his chair, watching as she fidgeted. "But Jimmy knows how important your work is to you—being a reporter is who you are. Besides, it's not like you forgot about your plans on purpose."

"I tried to tell him that but," Chloe reached into her purse. She unzipped a pocket inside and pulled out something that was tiny enough to be obscured by her hand. "He wanted me to prove how much he meant to me. So he proposed—"

"What!!?!"

"—proposed that I _move in with him_." She finished slowly, amused by Clark's reaction. She gave him a moment to recover before she continued. "I guess I didn't phrase that right, did I?"

Clark shook his head, letting out a breath of relief. "Not exactly."

"Well, to be honest that's what I thought he was going to do when he reached into his pocket and told me he had an _important _question to ask me." She opened her hand and let a small, silver key clatter onto the table. "But instead of a ring he gave me this."

"Oh, wow." Was all Clark could muster as he picked up the key, twirling it in his fingers. "So he's serious then?"

Chloe nodded.

"What are you gonna do?" He asked, sliding it back across the table to her.

"He said living with him would make more sense then living with Lois and commuting everyday." Chloe snatched the key and tossed it back into her bag. "He also said it would give us guaranteed time together _outside _the Planet—so that he didn't have to compete to spend time with me anymore."

"Are you going to accept?" Clark asked, hoping she hadn't made a rash decision.

"I don't know. But if this will make him happy then maybe—" She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought; for a minute it felt as if someone else was in her body, making her say these things. It all felt wrong, but she wasn't ready to admit it. Quickly she changed the subject. "So how are you and Lana? Still blissfully, sickeningly happy?"

Clark shook his head and took a long sip from his cup. "I wouldn't say that."

"Trouble in paradise so soon?"

"Let's just say that Jimmy and Lana have a lot more in common then I'd ever imagined."

Chloe's eyebrows shot upwards. "Uh oh. What does that mean?"

"She asked me to quit the Planet and take a job at the Ledger instead."

Chloe laughed. "The Ledger? Why would she want you to leave the best newspaper in the _world _for _the Ledger_?"

Clark leaned across the table, dropping his voice down low. "Lana thinks working in Metropolis is risky—that is presents more opportunities for me to use my powers."

Chloe blinked back in disbelief. "What?"

"She thinks it would be easier," He continued, a bitter edge to his voice." To be discovered in Metropolis. While in Smallville I can basically stay under the radar."

Chloe couldn't resist the urge and rolled her eyes. "She can't be serious? Your powers are who you are," She whispered. "How could she ask you not to use them? That's basically asking for you to change everything you are—you're not seriously considering it are you?"

Clark stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Looks like we're in the same boat, aren't we?"

"Touche." The words hit Chloe hard; she knew exactly what he meant and she couldn't help feeling a bit like a hypocrite. "Well, I guess relationships _are_ about give and take, right? Compromises?" She asked hopefully, trying to convince herself more than anything. "Maybe this will all just work out for the best."

Clark shrugged his shoulders and looked out the window into the dark night. It bothered him to hear Chloe struggling to justify what was happening. It bothered him ever more the way he was doing the exact same thing. "Maybe. I mean, I want things to work out with Lana."

"And I want things to work out with Jimmy."

"But it's just so—"

"So—"

"_Overwhelming_." They both said at the same time. They looked back at each other, surprised by their confession.

It was the first time Chloe had let herself say what she had been feeling out loud, and she suspected it was the first for Clark as well. Suddenly she couldn't hold it in any longer. "What I don't understand Clark, is how much is too much? How far do you go to please the one you care about before you, you—" She paused and Clark watched her intently, a mutual understanding passing between them. "Lose yourself?"

The two sat, contemplating her words for a few moments before two distinct beeps simultaneously cut through the silence. Chloe reached into her bag and pulled out her cell. She looked down at the display.

Clark pulled his cell from his coat pocket.

They waited until their phones rang again before they answered, there voices tense and uneasy.

"Hey Jimmy."

"Hey Lana."


	5. Chapter 5

Clark followed the directory mounted on the wall, walking down the hallway till he saw a pair of doors labeled _Daily Planet Mailroom and Supply._ It was located in a part of the basement he was unfamiliar with, down a long, quiet corridor. But when he pushed the doors open he was greeted with a raucous noise; a handful of guys were shouting to each other across a spacious, but cluttered room as they stood over rolling bins, sorting through an assorted pile of letters and packages. No one bothered to stop what they were doing to look up at him and he stood in the door, unsure of what to do.

"Hey, you there." Clark heard suddenly and his head jerked to the left where he saw a short, heavyset man waddling towards him. He squinted his eyes behind his thick glasses as he read the name badge clipped to Clark's shirt. " Kent," He stuck out his hand. "We've been waiting for you down here. I thought you were supposed to start with us yesterday?"

Clark shook his hand vigorously. "Yesterday _was_ my first day, but human resources had a group of new employees in some day long orientation."

The man nodded. "I see. Well, now that that is over the real work can begin. My name is Mr. Klein. Have you ever worked in a mailroom before?"

Clark shook his head.

"Well, it's a pretty fast paced system we've got going on down here," He began, walking forward and gesturing about the room. "But you'll catch on in no time I'm sure. But here's the quick version." They came to a stop next to the group of guys standing over the rolling bins. "We've got outgoing mail we collect on a schedule several times throughout the morning—this includes packages, stuff that needs to be overnighted and such. We organize it and get it ready for mail pick up in the afternoon. We then receive and sort through the incoming mail and deliver it to all departments throughout the building." They began walking forward again and the man gestured to a line of women sorting mail onto carts. "We deal with a lot of mail here daily, but we also work hand in hand with supply—making sure the copiers and fax machines never run out of toner, paper or whatnot. We also provide a courier service for the building, so expect to run important parcels wherever in Metropolis they might be needed." He panted, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket to dab the sweat that was dotting his forehead. "You got that?"

"Yeah."

"Good—now I'm off for my cigarette break." He nodded towards a skinny guy in the corner. "Jon will show you the ropes today." Mr. Klein said and pulled a lighter from his pocket. He headed towards the door, huffing and puffing all the way, and Clark wondered if he was going to pass out from the exertion.

"Newbie," A voice called and Clark turned around to see Jon roll a cart in his direction. "We have a scheduled mail pickup right now for the basement offices. Are you familiar with where that is?"

Clark was more than familiar; he had spent so much time there he knew it like the back of his hand. "Yeah," He nodded, grabbing the cart with both hands. "I think I can find my way around." He pushed the cart through the double doors and down the hallway, taking a few wrong turns in the process, until he found the area he knew all to well.

He pulled open the door to the basement offices; phones were ringing, televisions set to the local news stations blaring on the walls, and as he entered the room several heads looked up at him from their desks, waving envelopes in his direction impatiently. As he maneuvered himself throughout the room, going from desk to desk, he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey, you missed a desk."

Clark turned around to see Chloe smiling back at him, clutching an envelope in her hand. "I was just working my way over to you."

Chloe tossed the letter into his cart. "You got a minute?" She grabbed onto his sleeve, pulling him in the direction of her desk, not waiting for his answer.

"I guess I don't have much choice—what's up?"

"I remembered where I know the name Dr. Rosenbaum from." Chloe sat down at her desk; she moved her mouse, clicking on a window at the bottom of her screen. Up popped an article labeled _"New Methods and Innovations in Treatment of the Psychiatric Patient by Dr. Mitchell Rosenbaum"_. "There was a whole section in The Planet health section about a month ago—profiling up and coming local doctors."

"How do can you be sure this is the same guy? What if it's is another Doctor with the same last name?"

"Well, I hit up the American Medical Association website and found three Dr. Rosenbaum's licensed to practice medicine in the state of Kansas— one is located in Caffeyville and the other in Scott City. The third in located right here in Metropolis. Since the cell call came from a tower nearby, it has to be the guy. And take a guess where he works."

"Where?"

"Belle Reeve."

Somehow Clark was not too surprised. Shady things and Belle Reeve seemed to go hand in hand. "So, when are we going to check things out?"

Chloe smiled, swiveling around in her chair. "I was thinking tonight we both could swing down there. I mean, we need to know if this guy is legit, or just delusional."

Clark was glad to see the spark back in her eyes. He too felt an excitement rush through him; it was the first time he had felt truly happy in days. "Right—or if he was just hidden away because he knew too much."

"Exactly." Chloe opened her mouth to continue, but her eyes drifted across the room where she caught sight of Jimmy who had just walked in through the door. "On second thought," She said slowly, watching Jimmy as he made his way towards them. "I forgot—Jimmy wants me to call it an early night." The spark in her eyes faded fast. "He asked me over to watch a movie and, um, _talk_."

Clark's heart sank; he hated seeing Chloe like this, but he understood—they were both trying to make their relationships work. It was just harder than expected. "About _you know what_?"

Chloe nodded silently and smiled uncomfortably as Jimmy approached her desk, hoping he hadn't caught any of their conversation. "Hey Jimmy."

"Here's my girl." Jimmy leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Chloe looked around, embarrassed by his unprofessional display. "_Jimmy_."

"Hey CK." Jimmy said happily, ignoring Chloe's discomfort. "Have you heard the good news yet? Me and Chloe are moving—"

" _Kent_!"

Mr. Klein was charging towards him, looking displeased. Clark looked from him back to Chloe, seeing relief in her eyes for the interruption.

"It's your first, er—_second_ day—so I'll cut you some slack." He wheezed. "But quit chatting with the hot blonde and get back to work." He dabbed his forehead and thrust a thick, manila envelope into his hand. "I need you to courier this over to the Cornell building on Madison and Fifth. Just give it to the receptionist and she'll handle the rest. You got that?"

Clark nodded, grabbing the envelope from his hand. "Sorry Sir, right away."

"Good." Mr. Klein said, giving Chloe a once over before heading back towards the door.

"Well, you better get going then." Chloe piped up; her eyes telling him to leave before Jimmy had a chance to open his mouth again. "We'll talk about the, um, other thing later—okay?"

Clark nodded, hurried out of the office and up the basement stairs. As he exited through the revolving doors of the lobby, realizing that Madison and Fifth was a good ten or so blocks away, he took a customary glance up and down the street. The coast was clear, but instead of simply zipping away he hesitated. He heard Lana's voice in his head and a heavy sense of guilt overcame him, like what he was about to do was wrong.

So with a dejected sigh he tucked the package under his arm and started to walk


	6. Chapter 6

The images on the TV flickered in the darkened room, bouncing shadows onto the walls. Julia Roberts, in all her curly haired glory, was ogling a beautiful diamond necklace in its box before Richard Gere snapped it playfully shut on her fingers, eliciting her trademark laugh.

Normally Chloe could watch Pretty Woman, riveted to the screen no matter how many times she had seen it, but this time she found herself checking her watch endlessly.

Ten o'clock.

Ten o'five

Ten—fifteen."

"Ten—thirty."

Jimmy was snuggled up to her on his couch, his right arm draped around her shoulder. He hadn't moved or said anything in the last half hour, and his slow, even breathing sounded like he was fast asleep. Chloe tilted her head towards him and saw his eyes shut, his mouth agape with a tiny bit of drool sliding out of the corner.

"Nice," She muttered to herself. "I bailed out of investigating for _this_." Part of her was peeved, but the other half relieved as she looked around the cramped, messy apartment. The main reason, besides a chick flick classic, for insisting Chloe come over was to discuss his proposition that she move in with him. She was glad she was able to avoid the subject so far; she had done a masterful job of changing the subject all night, and with Jimmy now out like a light at her side she was confident she would be able to escape unscathed.

Julia Roberts was now at the opera, someone asking her how she liked it.

_"Oh, it was so good—I almost peed in my pants." _

Richard Gere stepped in smoothly.

_"She said she liked it better than Pirates of _ _Penzance__." _

Suddenly Chloe felt a vibration shoot into her hip. She realized her phone was ringing and she reached into her pants pocket, sliding slowly away from Jimmy as not to wake him. Jimmy groaned and shifted his body—still asleep—his arm sliding off Chloe as he curled up into a ball with a nearby pillow. Chloe stood up and tip toed into the kitchen, pressing her phone up to her ear. "Hello?" She whispered.

There was no answer, just muffled sounds in the background. "Hello? Clark?" She asked to no answer. She looked at her cell display and it read _blocked _and she knew who it had to be. "I need to know your name—do you still want to meet me? Are you in Belle Reeve?"

There was yet another brief moment of silence, and then a man's voice spoke quietly. "My name is Davis. Yes I am. I want to meet you. I have informat—" He cut off abruptly and Chloe heard what could be described as a struggle, with at least two other men's voices apparent in the background. "Hello? Hello?" She whispered; there were a few more sounds, a few more muffled shouts and then nothing but dial tone.

Chloe's hunch was right— he _was_ being held at Belle Reeve. She peered around the corner; Jimmy was now snoring loudly. As she snuck quietly over to the couch to grab her purse, she heard the TV, Julia Roberts speaking emotionally.

_"When I was a little girl, my mama used to lock me in the attic when I was bad, which was pretty often…And I would—I would pretend I was a princess trapped in a tower by a wicked Queen. And then suddenly this knight on a white horse with all these colors flying would come charging up and draw his sword….. _

Chloe paused for a moment, looking down a Jimmy's contented face as he slept. She remembered fondly a time when she thought of him like that; someone to rescue her from her daily life—someone to love her.

_"And I would wave. And he would climb up the tower and rescue me. But never in all the time that I had that dream did the knight say to me.. "Come on baby, I'll put you up in a great condo." _

But now she had a sinking feeling she needed rescuing _from_ him instead.

Chloe grabbed her purse and reached for the remote; she clicked off the TV and pulled an afghan off the back of the couch, placing it around Jimmy. She knew Jimmy would be angry with what she was about to do—but she didn't care. This was just too good. This was what she lived for. She was a reporter, and this was _her _story—she couldn't fight her self any longer.

He would just have to understand.

As she snuck out of the apartment and ran down to her car she dialed Clark's number. "Come on Clark, pick up." She said out loud as she revved the engine and sped out of the parking lot. After a few rings with no answer it went to voice mail. " Clark, I don't know where you are," She spoke rapidly after the beep. "But you were right—the source called back. I think he's in trouble and I'm on my way to Belle Reeve."


	7. Chapter 7

Clark stretched out on the couch, tossing a ball up towards the ceiling of the loft. The night was quiet and peaceful—a stark contrast to the storm that was raging inside him. All the walking he had done this morning had given him much needed time to think, and he had come to the realization that he was indeed, losing himself.

He heard Chloe's voice in his head.

_"Relationships are about give and take, right?"_

Clark agreed. But while he was doing all the giving—

Lana was doing all the taking.

He was angry for not standing up for himself. For not telling Lana that his powers were a huge part of who he was—a part he was not willing to deny or change for anyone.

The ball fell back down and he caught it with one hand. He threw it back up a little too hard and it crashed through the roof, sailing out of sight into the darkness. It had been the first time he had used his powers—however unintentionally—all day and it made him smile.

"Looks like someone needs to practice a little control." Clark heard Lana's voice and propped himself up. She was standing at the top of the stairs, clutching the railing. "I think we need to talk about the other day." She said and walked over to him, taking a seat next to him on the couch. She placed a hand on his knee and Clark sat up to meet her.

"I do too." Clark agreed, and for a moment he had a fleeting hope that somehow she had had a change of heart about everything.

"I wanted to know if you've made your decision about the Ledger?"

Obviously she hadn't.

"Lana, I _have_ thought about it and—"

Sensing what he was about to say Lana's eyes grew dark and she promptly cut him off. "So it's a no then? You've decided to stay at The Planet?"

Clark didn't have to answer, his eyes said it all.

Lana's mouth twisted into a frown and she slumped back into the couch cushions. She sat there for a minute in silence before she turned to him and grabbed his hand. " Clark, I know you would miss Metropolis, but they sell The Daily Planet here. They even sell Shark dogs now in the grocery stores—I know how much you like them." She smiled and Clark knew what she was trying to do. "You can still have a piece of Metropolis right here in Smallville."

Once again Lana had turned on the sweetness, but it was clear she was missing the point. "Lana, this has nothing to do with missing Metropolis. Sure, if I left the Daily Planet I would miss it—but that's not the reason I don't want to work at the Ledger."

"Then what is it?" She said coldly, her smile disappearing. "The Ledger _is _a respectable paper even if _some _people only think highly of the Planet. Besides, after our argument I thought you understood what I wanted, a normal life together here in Smallville. We've waited so long to be together—do you really want to throw our relationship away?"

Clark resisted the urge to immediately agree—something he had been doing lately despite his true feelings. Instead he spoke calmly, firmly, and from the heart. "Of course I don't. But you have to understand that I'll never be _normal_. And any life we have together would _never_ be normal. No matter what I'm always going to use my powers. They are who I am."

"Yes, but Smallville is safer for us."

"Do you really believe that?" Clark argued; he wasn't buying it anymore. He may have believed it in the beginning, but now he knew the situation was less about safety, and more about control. "There's no place that's completely safe. And if you truly cared for me, you'd be willing to take the risk anyways."

Lana opened her mouth but had no reply.

"Point is, I wasn't being honest to you or to myself about all of this—but I'm being honest now." Clark felt Lana's hand drop from his. " I tried, but I realized I am not willing to change who I am for anything or anyone."

Lana could sense she was losing the battle. " Clark, I am only trying to protect you and our relationship. I love you." She looked back at him expectantly, waiting for him to melt into her arms like he had always done before. She put her hand on his cheek, letting it rest there and she stared into his eyes.

Something about the situation felt so strange, almost manipulative that Clark had to resist the urge to pull away.

Suddenly a loud ringing cut through the tension and Clark looked down to see his cell phone vibrating across the top of the coffee table. Lana reached for it. "It's Chloe," She grumbled, tossing it aside. Clark made a move for it, but she blocked his hand. " Clark, I think we need to finish this."

"I said what I had to say." He stated firmly; there was no point in arguing any further, nothing would change his mind. "If you can deal with it then we might be okay. If you can't, then—" The phone rang a few more times; Clark had an overwhelming feeling it was important and that he needed to answer.

"Then what?"

"Then this isn't going to work." Clark finally reached for the phone, it's ringing ceased. Lana shook her head, tossing her hands up into the air. She stood up, throwing one last scathing look over her shoulder before she stormed back down the stairs.

Clark heard Lana's car screech away as he put his phone to his ear, calling his voicemail. He heard Chloe's voice as she spoke urgently. " Clark, I don't know where you are. But you were right—the source called back. I think he's in trouble and I'm on my way to Belle Reeve."

Finally free of the hesitation that had plagued him earlier, Clark dropped the phone and he was gone in a blur.


	8. Chapter 8

The woman at the reception desk looked up as she heard the click of Chloe's heels against the black, marble floor. The lobby of Belle Reeve had a decidedly sterile, modern décor and the woman working there looked as cold as the surroundings.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes you can." Chloe smiled. "I'm here to visit a patient. He's an old friend of mine—the name is Davis."

The woman looked back down to her magazine and pointed over her shoulder to a sign on the wall. "Miss, it's almost eleven o'clock," She sniffed. "Visiting hours are over. Come back in the morning."

Chloe knew her approach was too simple to work.

"Oh, it's that late already?" She laughed, trying to play it off as the woman glared at her. She took a quick glance around, deciding she'd have to find another way to get in.

"Ahem." The woman cleared her throat loudly and shifted her eyes to the door.

Chloe took the hint. "Um, alright then." She took a few steps backwards. "Tomorrow morning—gotcha'."

Chloe headed out the door and back onto the sidewalk where she had started. "If Clark was here he could have just zipped right in." She grumbled, pulling out her cell to see if he'd called her back.

He hadn't.

She stuffed the phone back into her bag and headed around the right wing of the building to try and locate any unguarded back doors or service entrances. As she snuck around, climbing through a grouping of dense bushes, she heard the sound of a door creaking open and the sound of wheels on pavement. She crouched down deeper into the bushes and peered though the branches.

A few feet away a young man was wheeling a large, plastic bin full of garbage bags out to a dumpster. The door he had exited from, marked _Maintenance_, was still open, propped open by a crumbling red brick. Her eyes darted back to the guy as he tossed bag after bag into the dumpster. Her heart begun to beat faster and she knew it was time to make a move. Chloe stood up and took a step forward. When her foot came down it made contact with a stick buried under the mulch and there was a loud snap. She tried to make a dash for it, but it was too late. The young man had heard the noise and was headed straight for her.

Chloe was frozen, a few steps away from the entrance.

"Hey you!" He yelled, charging at her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I, I—" She fumbled for an excuse. She noticed a nametag hanging from his shirt. "_Ted_," She smiled, batting her eyelashes. "I'm sorry—I know how bad this looks—but it's just that I've traveled a long way to visit my friend." She cocked her head flirtatiously. "But the receptionist said visiting hours were over. Silly me, I know. But I just can't bear not to see my friend one last time before—" She paused dramatically.

"Before what?"

"Before he _dies_." By the look on his face, Chloe knew she had him.

"I'm so sorry."

"Yes, he's terminal." She whispered, her voice cracking. "I just had to do whatever I could to see him. I hope you understand—and that you will help me." She ran her hand further up his arm and took a step forward. "It would really mean a whole lot to me. It can be out little secret."

The man let a tiny smile escape and he dipped his head down closer to her. "Well, since you put it that way," Chloe felt his hand wrap up around her wrist. "I think," He smiled wider and Chloe nodded eagerly—this was going to work. "I'm gonna have to call security!" His grip tightened severely and he reached down to where a walkie talkie was clipped to his belt.

Chloe wriggled, trying to break free, but his grip was unbreakable. So in one swift motion she lifted her leg, kneeing him in the groin. He let out a wail of pain, doubled over and fell to his knees. The radio dropped to the ground and Chloe made a mad dash for the door. But before she could get away he had reached out and grabbed her ankle. She could feel his nails digging into her flesh, and as she struggled to break free she reached into her purse.

"I didn't want to do this—but you leave me no choice."

She whirled around and shot her hand out, zapping his back with her stun gun. A blue jolt of electricity shot from the device into the man and his eyelids flew open. He jerked back, his body went limp and he fell to the ground. He blinked a few times in shock before he passed out cold.

Chloe, still trembling from the adrenaline, stashed her weapon. "That's the _last _time I try to flirt my way in." She shook his limp fingers from her leg and stepped in through the door. It led to a dark storage room with boxes piled clear to the ceiling. There was another door at the far end of the room and she went over to it. She turned the handle slowly and pulled it open just enough to peer around the corner.

The coast was clear and she found herself in a long corridor. On the left were a few racks of clothing and rolling shelves of folded blankets next to a door marked _Laundry_. Chloe glanced up and down the hallway, seeing a few more non-descript doors, until she saw one at the far end marked _Stairwell B_. She ran over to it and pushed it open, climbing upwards till she came to a stop on the first landing. There was a door marked _Level 1_ with a small, square glass window at the top. She looked through it to see a hallway, dim and deserted. Carefully she opened the door and stuck her head out; it was quiet except for a distant beeping sound.

She let the door click closed behind her and crept up the carpeted hallway, thankful that it muffled her footsteps. She came to a stop at a corner and went to look around it when she felt a strong hand clamp down tightly over her mouth. Her eyes bugged and she instinctively went to scream, but stopped when she was forcefully turned around.

" Clark!" She whispered when he dropped his hand. "What are you doing? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I got your message." He whispered. "I got here as fast as I could."

"I could have used you a bit earlier." She quipped. "How did you get in?"

"I just zipped past the receptionist."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "_Figures_. So, I guess the ban on super powers is off?"

Clark smiled sheepishly. "Yeah—gone like your reluctant reporter act."

It was now Chloe's turn to be embarrassed. She didn't even want to think about her behavior the past few days. "Don't remind me. Now, I have a plan." She inched forward again, looking around the corner. "There is a nurse's station down the hallway there. That's where you come in."

"How so?"

"Well, there is a nurse there right now. We need some sort of a distraction so we can get in there and get access to a patient directory or something—find out what room our guy is in."

Clark nodded and walked slowly up the hallway, getting as close to the nurse's station as he could without being seen. There, a woman in beige scrubs was relaxing in a chair, yakking into the phone. "Yeah, this night shift is killing me. I really need to find a new job." She complained, twirling a pencil in her fingers. "Wait—Metropolis General _is_ hiring?"

Clark scanned the nearby area and saw a med cart up against the wall, unattended. He inhaled deeply, pursed his lips, and blew. The cart shot off like a canon, barreling down the hallway leaving a trail of papers and pills in its wake.

"Holy—" The nurse cried, her eyes wide with shock. The phone dropped from her hand as she hopped up from her chair and took off after it down the hallway and out of sight.

Clark spun around and signaled an all clear. Chloe ran up to meet him and the two rushed behind the nurse's station.

"Okay, remember to look for a list of current patients." Chloe whispered, sifting through stacks of paper littering the desk top.

Clark searched the shelves. "Got it." He pulled out a red binder labeled _Patient Census_.

Chloe grabbed it and flipped it open, her eyes twinkling. "Perfect." She began reading through the pages as fast as she could.

"What's the name?"

" Davis. That's all I got—could be the first, could be the last."

Clark grabbed it from her hand. "I can read a lot faster." He flipped through a few more pages quickly until he found a match. "Hey, right here." He said, pointing to a name in the middle of the page. "The only Davis in the book—Austin Davis, room 210."

"Yeah, and it looks like he was admitted only a few weeks ago."

Suddenly they heard a woman's voice. "Hello? Hello? Rhonda? Girl, is that you? What the hell is going on?"

Chloe picked the phone off the desk, clicking it back onto the receiver. "Alright, let's go."


	9. Chapter 9

The sign on the wall read _Rooms 200-220_ as Chloe and Clark reached the second floor. They came to a stop outside a large, grey door. Through a small glass window at the top they could make out several numbered doors stretching down a long corridor.

"This is it." Chloe said, pointing at a keypad mounted on the wall beside the door. "But it's a locked unit—we need a code to get through."

Before Chloe had time to devise a plan, Clark squinted, shooting a concentrated beam of heat at the keypad. The unit began to shake and smoke and an acrid smell filled the air. The little light at the top turned from red to green and there was a sound of the door unlocking, seconds before the cover popped off exposing scorched and sparking wires.

Chloe grabbed the handle and turned easily. "Thanks."

They made their way down the quiet hallway until they found the door marked _210_. Clark reached for the handle; it was locked as he had expected, and he twisted it until he heard a loud snap and it fell off into his palm. They pushed open the door into a small, square room. It was dim, but through the moonlight coming in from the tiny window they could make out a figure in the corner, perched on a bed. It was a young man—thin, almost sickly looking, with wild hair and haunting eyes.

"If you came for Peter—you're too late. They already took him."

"No." Clark shook his head. He looked to the other side of the room where he saw an empty bed. "I don't know who Peter is, but we're here to help you. Are you Austin Davis?"

"Help me?" He laughed cynically. "Who are you and what do you want?"

Chloe stepped forward. "I believe you wanted to tell me your story."

His eyes darted to her and his demeanor softened dramatically. "_Chloe Sullivan_?"

Chloe nodded, walking even closer. "Are you the same Austin Davis that's been calling me?"

"Yes—yes I am. How did you find me?"

"I have my ways." Chloe smiled and took a look around the room; there were a few broken pieces of plastic scattered about the floor and the empty bed across from his seemed to have been ransacked. "Is everything alright? When you last called you sounded like you were in trouble?"

"The guards—or should I say Lex's stooges—came to take my roommate away." He pointed at the empty bed. "He had special abilities. I knew it was only a matter of time before they found out and took him." He paused for a moment, his expression grim. "Just like they did with so many others."

Chloe tentatively took a seat on the edge of the bed next to him. She was curious to find out more about his roommate, but there were bigger issues to resolve. "You say you worked at 33.1?"

Austin nodded. "Yes. After college I was recruited—told it was a top level medical research job for the government—and that it would be highly classified. I soon found out why it was classified," His voice broke with emotion. "Because if anyone knew the atrocious things that happened there."

Clark stepped forward slowly. "What did you do?"

Chloe felt the mattress springs bounce under her as he jumped up from the bed. "I did experiments on people with so called _special abilities_—specifically the meteor infected." Austin answered. "My job was to gather the DNA of the _patients_," He rolled his eyes and began to pace up and down the space like a caged animal. "And compare it to those of normal humans. Things like sequences, looking for mutations and such. There was a whole lab of us with one goal—to map the genetic blueprint of those with abilities." He ran a trembling hand through his hair, shaking his head. "I personally never had much contact with them, except for taking samples, but the things I saw—"

"Like what?" Clark and Chloe chorused.

He stopped moving long enough for them to see his face lose the little color it had left. "Experiments—more like torture. Stuff right out of the Middle Ages. And always Lex Luthor right there to orchestrate it all." He began pacing again. "By the time I'd realized what was really going on it was too late—I was trapped."

Chloe inched forward, studying him closely. "You were being held against your will?"

"In a way. The first time I tried to leave they threatened my family, and knowing what they were capable of, I couldn't risk it. So I stayed."

"Then how did you end up in Belle Reeve?" Clark asked.

"A few weeks ago I decided I couldn't take it any more. I made sure my family was safe and then tried to escape. When they caught me they sent me here." He began waving his hands erratically, speaking in rapid fire. "A fate worse than death—locked away with the insane. If I ever got out, my credibility would be shot. My story reduced to the delusional ramblings of a madman. But they didn't know I had _this_." He stopped and went over to his bed, squatting down to reach underneath it. His hand searched around for a moment before there was the sound of tape ripping and he pulled out a small device, placing it in Chloe's hand.

"It's a Flash drive."

"Yes, and the information on there should be more than enough to lock Lex up for many, many years."

Chloe stared at the tiny device in her hand and Clark came over to get a closer look. She looked up into Austins face—he seemed genuine—but she couldn't help wonder if his story was too good to be true. So many times before Chloe had thought she was on the trail to cracking her story only to be hit with a dead end. If it turned out that the Flash drive in her hand did contain incriminating evidence against Lex, it could be just the break she needed. "How did you get this?" She asked suspiciously.

"Another employee. One who was too afraid to run."

"What happened to you the first night," Clark piped up. "When you never showed up?"

Austin turned to him. "Well, I'd been planning an escape for a while now," He explained. "Word here is that certain guards will leave a door _accidentally _unlocked for a price. The first night I called I was planning on making my escape, but plans fell through. I was waiting till it was safe to call back and explain when," He gestured to the broken plastic chards on the floor. "The cell phone I'd snatched off a guard got trampled in the commotion. I thought I'd lost my chance—so imagine my surprise when you showed up tonight." He turned back to face Chloe, his eyes full of anticipation.

"There's one more thing I am curious about," Chloe asked, still looking at the Flash drive in her hand. "Why did you choose to contact me?"

Austin smiled. "I didn't think you two would remember me. I went to Smallville High."

Chloe and Clark exchanged surprised looks.

"I graduated two years ahead of you and was an avid reader of The Torch. Through the alumni newsletters I read you were working for The Daily Planet. So I took a chance. If anyone would be willing to help me and believe in my story—it would be you."

Chloe smiled; she had so many more questions to ask, but before she could get the opportunity the silence was broken by the sound of footsteps pounding up the hallway, and voices shouting to each other.

_"I saw them go this way on the security cam!" _

_"There—down that hallway! A door is open!" _

Clark and Chloe looked at each other—they had been caught. Chloe searched the room anxiously for a place to hide, but there was none. "We need to get out of here." She tucked the precious device into her pocket and jumped up. "Come on," She grabbed Austin by the arm, pulling him towards the door. "You're coming with us."

The three of them dashed out of the door, charging down the hallway towards an emergency exit. The voices of the guards behind them grew louder with each step.

_"Hey—you three! Stop right there!"_

Clark made it to the door first, slamming it open as Chloe and Austin followed. When it shut Clark took a step back, shooting a beam of heat onto the door handle until it began to glow bright red.

"What the?!" Austin exclaimed, stunned.

"Come on," Chloe grabbed his arm, pulling him along as she descended down the stairs. "Not every person with special abilities is locked up."

Clark peered out the small window on the door, watching as the guards ran up towards it. One of them reached out to grab the handle; his hand jerked back and he immediately yelped. "Shit! The damn thing is on fire!" He shook his hand and stomped the ground furiously.

The second guard spoke into his walkie talkie. "Yeah—we found the girl who attacked Ted. She and a second accomplice—male—are escaping down the second floor emergency stairwell with a patient in tow. Repeat a patient in tow."

" Clark," Chloe whined, looking up at him from a few steps below. "Let's go." Clark didn't hesitate and the three of them ran down the flight of stairs till they reached the first floor landing.

"That—that was amazing what you did back there." Austin stammered, looking back at Clark with admiration.

Chloe brushed past them and looked out the first floor doors window; guards were making their way up the hall towards them. " Clark, I think we need to find another way out."

Clark smiled. "Well, if ya thought what I did back there was great," He smiled at Austin. "You'll love this." He squinted once more, aiming his heat vision towards the ceiling until it started to smoke. After a moment a high pitched alarm went off and the sprinklers from the ceiling started spraying everything with water.

The guards outside stopped in their tracks. _"We have a Code Red! Repeat Code Red!"_ They chanted into their walkie talkies and took off back down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Clark threw open the door. "Wow—" Austin cried as they sprinted down the hallway. "Is that all you can do?"

"You'd be surprised." Clark yelled over his shoulder.

They ran past the empty nurse's station, water pelting everything in sight, and out into the lobby where the receptionist was yelling frantically into her phone. "No, I called the police! No everything is under control—" Her eyes lifted to see Chloe as she ran past, trying to keep upright as her wet shoes slid across the sleek marble. "Hey! You! What are you doing?!?"

The three ignored the women's cries and ran out into the night. "Come on," Chloe yelled breathlessly. "My car's right over here." She whipped her keys out as they ran through the parking lot. When she came to a stop next to her car she turned to see Clark by her side, but Austin was a few steps behind, looking at them warily. "Come on Austin." She urged.

"I can't." He said. "It's too dangerous. You've already gone through enough to help me, I can't—"

"Don't be silly." Chloe tried to assure him. "You have to come with us. We can find a safe place for you. You can help bring Lex down."

He shook his head and took a step backwards. The sound of sirens struck up in the distance and he glanced over his shoulder. "I've already given you everything you need—so use it well."

"But—" Chloe argued.

"Thank you for all that you've done. I'll be watching for your story." He waved and turned to run off down the street, ducking into the shadows. The sirens grew louder and Chloe felt Clark grab her arm.

"Come on Chloe."

She said nothing, reaching inside her pocket to make sure the device was still there. Her fingers found it and she nodded her head, lunging for the car.


	10. Chapter 10

Chloe cruised down the dark street, rolling down the windows to let the breeze blow them dry. "That was intense." She said, staring at the road head of her. She stuck her hand into her pocket, pulling out the Flash drive. She placed it on the dashboard and smiled. "I can't believe we may have the information I need to finish my expose on 33.1"

Clark studied the profile of her face; she hadn't seemed this happy and free in days. Like all of her troubles were a million miles away. "Well, let's get to it then," He said eagerly, grabbing the drive and waving it past her playfully. "We've got a laptop with this little one's name on it back at The Planet."

Chloe let out a laugh as her hair whipped into her face. She cranked up the radio so it could be heard over the wind. "Yes we do!" She pounded the steering wheel triumphantly to the beat. "Yes we do!"

Clark couldn't help but laugh in return as hers was infectious. "Glad to see the old Chloe making a comeback—I missed her."

Chloe turned to him. "Yeah, the same can be said about you. What happened exactly? What made you decide to embrace your powers again?"

"What made you decide to embrace your reckless journalism again?"

Chloe laughed. "Nope—I asked you first."

"I told Lana that my powers were here to stay—they were a huge part of who I am, and if she couldn't deal then we were over."

"What happened?"

"She stormed off."

Chloe looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "So you two are?" She asked cautiously.

"Over? Looks like it." He said bluntly. It was the first time he had said the words out loud; he expected the finality of them to cut him deeply, instead he felt calm—almost relieved in a way.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," He insisted. "We wanted completely different things. I realized that I can't be with someone who doesn't accept my true self—and Lana didn't."

"I know what you mean." Chloe's face fell instantly and she switched the radio off. She swerved the car over two lanes to make a sudden turn down another street.

"Whoa—what's going on?"

"I need to take a little detour first," She said as they sped up to a large apartment complex. "There's some unfinished business I need to attend to."

Clark knew that it had to do with Jimmy; after all she had been dealing with a very similar situation. "Is this Jimmy's place?" He asked as they pulled into a parking space and got out of her car.

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. I left Jimmy asleep on the couch when I got the call tonight." She punched a series of numbers into a security pad outside the front door and they were let in to the building. When they reached his first floor apartment she used the key Jimmy had given her to unlock his door. The TV was still on in the corner, showing an infomercial, but Jimmy was no longer on the couch. "Jimmy?" She called, taking a look around. "Are you here?"

There was no answer, but a few moments later Jimmy appeared around the corner, clad in boxer shorts and a wrinkled t-shirt. He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn. "Hey, look who came back. Guess that key came in handy." He said bitterly.

Chloe placed the key down on the counter top. "Did we wake you?"

"Yeah you did." He grumbled. "Unlike the _first_ time when I was asleep and you just left without a word."

Clark took a step back to give them a hint of privacy. The tension in the room was high; Clark felt like he shouldn't be there to witness such a private moment, but he had nowhere to go. He averted his eyes and tried to make himself invisible.

"I'm sorry I left without telling you," Chloe said. There was a fierce determination in Chloe's eyes, and Clark could see that she wasn't going to play the shrinking violet any longer. "But it was important—it was a break in the Luthor story I've been working on. I had to go, and I _hoped _you would understand."

Jimmy pulled up a stool and plopped down. His head hung low and he ran his hands through his bed head hair. "Chloe, I don't know what to do. I really don't. I try to spend time with you but you are always running off on some story. I just can't seem to compete with your job."

"I'm not asking you to _compete_," She said firmly, her eagerness to please gone. "I am asking you to be supportive. To understand that this is how my life is—and I _like _it. I am a reporter first and foremost. To me it's not just a job, it's who I _am_." She took a breath and shook her head solemnly. "If you can't handle that then—"

Jimmy looked up at her, his eyes narrowing. "Then what?"

"Then we need to end this."

Jimmy hopped off the stool. He took a step back and began muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

"I care about you Jimmy," Chloe continued, undeterred. "I really do. But journalism is always going to be a major part of my life. I need to be with someone who can live with that." She walked around the corner, reaching out to touch his arm lightly. He looked back at her, flinching at her touch. "And I don't think you can."

Jimmy took a step back from Chloe, letting her hand fall back to her side. "So, this is how it has to be?" He asked, staring down at the floor.

"Yes."

He nodded and reached for the key lying on the counter. "I take it you won't need this." He looked down at it wistfully for a moment. "Well, I think I'm going to go back to sleep—you two can show yourself out. I'm sure you probably have a big story to work on anyways." He dropped the key with a clink into the nearby wastebasket before heading back to his bedroom.

Chloe turned back to face Clark; her expression was full of regret, but there were no tears. "Come on Clark—" She started for the door.

Clark grabbed her arm. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be okay. This was a long time coming." She nodded. "Now, let's go work on our big story."


	11. Chapter 11

**_But when the sun that burns you… _**

Clark stood in front of the hallway mirror, struggling to tie the striped tie dangling limply around his neck as his mother's voice drifted up the stairs. " Clark, I made you some breakfast!"

"Okay Mom." He mumbled, giving up on the tie and throwing his hand up to run through his hair. The last thing he was concerned about was food; his mind was preoccupied with the events of the night before. As he dashed down the stairs he heard Chloe's voice replay in his head.

_"_ _Clark__," Chloe said breathlessly, the light from the computer screen bathing them in an eerie glow. Clark hovered over her shoulder, watching as she clicked through file after file on the Flash drive. "This is amazing." Everything from pictures to phone records, patient information, lab results and even correspondence from Lex himself flashed before their eyes. It was everything Chloe would need to write her story. _

_"And just think," _ _Clark__ said, placing his hands on her shoulder. "You wouldn't have any of this if you would have given up journalism for good." _

_Chloe cast a mockingly innocent look at him. "Me? Give up journalism? Never!" Chloe shook her head as she began clicking through the files again. "Well, I **really** wouldn't have gotten any of this had you given up your powers for good." Her eyes twinkled mischievously back at him in the monitor. "Promise me you never will—I kinda like you the way you are." _

_Clark__ felt a warm rush of pride, but played it causal. "Me? Give up my powers? Nah." He leaned in closer to her and spoke softly, squeezing her shoulders. "Only if you promise never to give up journalism—I kinda like the way you are too." _

"Good morning." Martha greeted Clark cheerily, snapping him out of his reverie. She reached out to grab the ends of his tie and proceeded to make a proper knot.

"Thanks." He said sheepishly as he pinned his ID badge to his shirt. "Well, I gotta get going, I'm not really hungry." Martha made a move to protest but he hushed her with a quick peck on the cheek and moved towards the door. "See you later!"

Clark barged out the front door eager to get to The Planet and began to super sped down the drive. A split second later as his feet skimmed over the asphalt of the road, his ears picked up the sound of his badge hitting the ground. When he skidded to a sudden halt and turned around to retrieve it, he saw a familiar car slow to a stop a few feet behind him. The driver's side window rolled down slowly, revealing Lana's icy cold stare. She looked him up and down, her eyes fixed unblinkingly at the DP badge gripped in his hand as he pinned it back to his shirt. Her lips curled into a scowl that twitched slightly and Clark knew she had just witnessed him using his powers. That she had seen him streak past and stop on a dime—but he didn't care.

For a few tense moments they lingered, Clark in the street, Lana glaring at him from behind the wheel, before her eyes flicked ahead of her again and she slammed on the gas, screeching past him as he whirled away in the opposite direction towards Metropolis.

**_Sets with the night… _**

****

****

****

Chloe sat down on the plastic chair and smiled—maybe a bit too wide—as the bespectacled woman behind the desk gave her a once over, disapproving of her bedraggled appearance with subtle roll of the eyes. Indeed, Chloe noticed, as she checked out her reflection in the window, she was quite a mess. The rumpled hair and equally rumpled clothes a product of a late, sleepless night. Her ambition and six cups of coffee had kept her up all night, ready to be in Kahn's office first thing in the morning to present the information she had gathered from the Flash drive.

Chloe wrapped her fingers tightly around the precious package in her lap, fidgeting as she watched the hands of the clock slowly tick forward. She wasn't sure if it was the excess of caffeine, her excitement—or both—that had her jittery, but she could barely contain herself. She kept flashing back to a few hours ago, and the giddiness she felt when she realized all of her hard work had finally paid off—that she would be able to write the biggest story of her career.

_"This is really going to happen." Chloe said as she finished looking through the last of the files. Even though she was looking straight at the evidence that would bring Lex down, a small part of her couldn't believe this was real._

_"Yeah. Your first headline story in The Daily Planet." _ _Clark__ smiled. "And I'm sure not to be the last." _

_Chloe swiveled around in her chair to face him and spoke, her voice firm. "I'm taking this to Kahn first thing in the morning." _

_Clark__ nodded as if he had expected as much. _

_"If this is a dream," She continued, her voice now dreamy. "—than just pinch me." _

_"You wouldn't want me to do that." Clark smiled devilishly. "I just might break your arm." _

_Chloe threw her head back and let out a laugh that echoed through the empty room. _

Suddenly the bespectacled woman behind the large desk in front of her looked up from the phone pressed to her ear and summoned her over, snapping her out of her day dream with six words. "Miss Kahn will see you now."

**_It brings about a new day… _**

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****

Chloe walked out into the hallway—or maybe she was floating, it was hard to tell—and boarded the elevator. When the doors shut in front of her she threw her hands up in the air and stomped her heels, doing a strange type of victory dance. She had went into Kahn's office, shown her the evidence for her story, and had been told to go full steam ahead—that it was front page, Pulitzer worthy material.

When the elevator doors dinged open she darted out and felt her shoulder collide into someone walking in. She looked up and felt her stomach and her good mood drop.

"Jimmy!" She smiled weakly, taking a step back in surprise. He refused to make eye contact with her, but made no effort to move, placing his hand on the elevator door to keep it from closing shut.

"Hey." He mumbled, his eyes searching the floor as if it was fascinating. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm okay I guess." She fibbed, knowing full well it was one of the best days of her life. A group of people had begun to form behind Jimmy, waiting to board the elevator, and she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him along as she walked out into the lobby. "Listen, I think we need to talk—"

"I know." He cut in, stopping to look her straight in the eyes. "I did a lot of thinking last night—I couldn't sleep for some reason." He quipped, laughing awkwardly. "And I needed to know something." He paused for a minute, his mouth hanging open while he tried to find the words. "Is this really what you want—are we really over?"

Chloe felt her stomach tie in knots, but before she could say a word the look in Jimmy's eyes revealed he already knew the answer.

"Well you can't blame a guy for trying." Once again his eyes drifted to the floor. "I guess I knew all along that this—us—wouldn't work."

"Oh?" Chloe asked, raising her eyebrows.

"We want different things.'

"I agree."

"But you can't blame a guy for trying." He said again as he turned his back to her and began to walk away. After a few steps he turned around. "It was wrong of me to want you change who you are." He blurted out, his voice full of regret. "I'm sorry." And with that he nodded goodbye and disappeared into the morning crowd.

****

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**_A day where you get what you want… _**

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As Clark hurried down the stairs, making a beeline for basement offices of The Daily Planet, he felt something jerk him backwards when he was mere inches from the door. He spun around and saw Chloe's face beaming up at him. "Hey—" He started, but before he could finish she threw her arms up in the air and squealed, her face scrunching up into a giant smile before she lurched forward and enveloped him into a giant hug. "Woah! Hey—good morning to you too." He joked, squeezing her close to him.

"Oh this is so unprofessional," Chloe giggled, her words muffled by his jacket. She lifted her head and gazed up at him. "But I don't care."

"I see that Kahn gave you the green light."

Chloe nodded, her smile growing wider. "What gave it away?"

"Oh, ya know, the little things." He teased.

"I can't believe this is happening. Well," She shrugged. "I mean, I knew it would happen someday. I do have faith in my investigative skills. But, still it's such a –"

"Chloe," Clark interrupted. He tightened his grip on her arms; they were still locked in an embrace, unaware of their co-workers casting them sideways glances. "You're babbling."

"Sorry." She said, stepping back out of his arms, making a move for the door. "Anyways, Kahn was very impressed with the amount of evidence we have against Lex—and she wants to see our rough draft on her desk by Friday."

Clark followed closely behind her as they navigated the newsroom towards her desk, his eyes narrowed in confusion. He was sure he had misheard. "What do you mean _our_ rough draft?"

****

****

"Oh, "Chloe gave him a knowing glance over her shoulder, clearly enjoying his exasperated expression. "For our story."

"_Our_ story?!?"

Chloe said nothing and simply smiled as she sat down at her desk, and Clark pulled up a seat next to her. He watched as she opened up her desk drawer and rifled through the contents slowly, leaving Clark's question hanging in the air, unanswered. "Chloe." He said after a moment. "What's going on?"

"Clark, you've helped me with this story since the beginning—so it's just as much your story as it is mine" Chloe sighed, pushing herself closer to him and lowering her head as she began to whisper. "And besides, with my journalistic skills and your _talents_ we could be unstoppable." Clark raised and eyebrow and Chloe quickly continued. "Ya know, for the cause of truth and justice."

"So—we'd be, like, partners?"

Chloe nodded.

"But doesn't she care that I'm just a lowly mailroom guy?"

"I didn't exactly tell her that." She shrugged. "But—"

" CLARK!"

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by the shrill barking of a stout, frumpy man waving a clipboard in their direction.

"Mr. Klein!" Clark yelped, almost falling out of the chair.

"What did I tell you about the hot blonde?!" He gave Chloe a once over, lingering a bit too long before he spoke again. "And the last time I checked you worked in the _mailroom _not the _newsroom_." His eyes narrowed sharply as he thrust a stack of manila envelopes into his arms. "Now get to work—deliver these to the tenth floor." He grunted and waddled off toward the exit.

Clark nodded. He took a quick glance around and zipped off, sending a stack of papers on her desk scattering. But just as soon as he was gone he was back, smiling and empty handed. "Well, let's get started before he comes back again." He smiled as he sat down next to her, huddled together in front of the computer screen, and began to work on their story.

**_And it's exactly what you need. _**

THE END!!!! THX FOR READING!!


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